The Michigan House has approved a plan for getting students back to school this fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic. State Representative Beth Griffin tells WSJM News the Return to Learn plan empowers local school districts and health departments to work together to develop health and safety standards that are best for their unique areas. She says lawmakers talked with local education leaders while crafting the package.
“The message from the superintendents, teachers, and parents was that they needed to know that going back to school in the fall they had a framework for flexibility, but also some guidance moving forward for what’s going to be happening in the face of COVID-19 and how it changes the nature of instruction,” Griffin said.
The Return to Learn plan redefines the word “attendance” to mean “engaged in instruction” rather than “physically present,” allowing for online learning.
“It’s timely and it’s needed to give those kids an opportunity to physically return to school or to return to school virtually.”
Griffin says the legislation also creates benchmarks for parents to know when a student needs extra help, and it requires school districts to work with local health departments to establish safety requirements. It now goes on to the Michigan Senate. Griffin says the plan is still evolving and will be updated through the rest of the summer.
